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Who We Are

We are a small group of young adult authors debuting in 2013, not to be confused with the Lucky 13s. (That group is large and awesome and all-encompassing when it comes to children's (pb, mg, and ya) books debuting in 2013. If you're looking to join the 2013 children's debut group, the Lucky 13s are your peeps!) Us Thirteeners wanted to host a blog where our readers could prompt and guide discussions, and so we've structured our posts around Truths & Dares. We hope you'll join in the fun!

And now it's time for introductions:

Alexandra Duncan

SALVAGE – Greenwillow Books, Fall 2013
Alexandra is a librarian and writer (plus amateur photographer, crochet enthusiast, cinemaphile, and, or course, book fiend). She
lives with her husband and two monstrous, furry cats in the mountains of
Western North Carolina. She holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from the
University of North Carolina at Asheville, and has been a frequent
contributor to The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. She loves
anything that gets her hands dirty – pie-baking, leatherworking,
gardening, drawing, and rolling sushi, to name a few.

BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA – Dial/Penguin, August 15, 2013
April Genevieve Tucholke digs classic movies, redheaded villains, big
kitchens, and discussing murder at the dinner table. She lives in Oregon
at the edge of a forest. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is her
first novel.

POINTE – Putnam/Penguin, April 10, 2014
Brandy works as a freelance magazine copy editor. She's a picky eater
and a vegetarian in real life, but an adventurous foodie at heart. She tap
dances and is an avid fan of Degrassi, the Flintstones, Louis C.K., and
Hello Kitty. Brandy's also head over heels for YA fiction.

DUALED – Random House, February 26, 2013
Elsie Chpaman grew up in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, before
graduating from the University of British Columbia with a BA in English
literature. She lives in Vancouver with her husband and two children,
where she writes to either movies on a loop or music turned up way too
loud (and sometimes both at the same time). DUALED is her first novel.

TAKEN – HarperTeen, April 16, 2013
Erin Bowman used to tell stories visually as a web designer. Now a
full-time writer, she relies solely on words. Erin lives in New
Hampshire with her husband. When not writing she can often be found
hiking, geeking out over good typography, and obsessing over all things
Harry Potter. TAKEN is her first novel.

J.R. Johansson (Jenn) has two amazing sons and a wonderful husband who
keep her busy and happy. In fact, other than her cat, she is pretty
much drowning in testosterone. They live in a valley between huge
mountains and a beautiful lake where the sun shines more than 300 days
per year. She loves writing, playing board games, and sitting in her hot
tub. Her dream is that someday she can do all three at the same time.

PIVOT POINT – HarperTeen, February 12, 2013
Kasie West lives with her family in central California, where the heat
tries to kill her with its 115-degree stretches. She graduated from
Fresno State University with a BA degree that has nothing to do with
writing.

Megan Shepherd grew up in her family's independent bookstore in North
Carolina. An avid reader and world traveler who spent several years in
the Peace Corps, Megan now lives with her husband in Asheville, North
Carolina. The Madman's Daughter is her first novel.

Mindy McGinnis is an assistant YA librarian who lives in Ohio and cans
her own food. She graduated from Otterbein University magna cum laude
with a BA in English Literature and Religion. Mindy has a pond in her
back yard but has never shot anyone.

TRANSPARENT – HarperTeen, May 21, 2013Natalie is a YA writer and card-carrying nerd. Her favorite areas of the nerd
realm include anime, Korean dramas, good cheese, and playing mmorpgs
with her family. Natalie takes pride in writing the weirdest books she can think
of, and her novels TRANSPARENT (May 21, 2013) and HOUSE OF IVY AND SORROW
(Winter 2014) are forthcoming from HarperTeen.

Shannon Messenger LET THE SKY FALL – Simon Pulse, March 5, 2013
Shannon Messenger grew up among the sandstorms and giant bugs of the
desert and was not sad at all when her family finally escaped the heat.
She's studied art, screenwriting, and television production, but
realized her real passion was writing for kids and teens. LET THE SKY
FALL is her first young adult novel. She is also the author of KEEPER OF
THE LOST CITIES, book one in a middle grade series. She lives in
Southern California with her wonderful husband and far too many cats and
believes In-N-Out cheeseburgers are the perfect food.